This invention relates to a process for producing retort salad using mayonnaise-like foods containing soybean protein as an emulsifier.
Because of the advantages of long shelf life and convenience, a variety of so-called "retort foods", that are prepared by charging foods into heat and pressure resistant containers such as cans, jars, bottles, bags, and tha like and then heat sterilizing the foods at 100.degree. C. or above, usually 120.degree. C. or above, have been put on the market in the past. Though potato salad and tuna salad have been commercially available as the retort salad foods using mayonnaise, they fail to make the best of the good body inherent in mayonnaise because the emulsion breaks down and the vinegar and oil separate from each other.
On the other hand, mayonnaise-like foods using soybean protein as an emulsifier instead of eggs has been proposed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,808 and a retort salad can be produced using such mayonnaise-like foods. It is recommended to use soybean proteins which have been partially hydrolyzed with an enzyme in the production of retort salad because the proteins can considerably improve the emulsifying power. In this case too, however, the emulsifying power is in sufficient and the emulsion is likely to be broken down by heating during the retort salad production process.